Roger Planchon

Roger Planchon,
(born Sept. 12, 1931, Saint-Chamond, France—died May 12, 2009, Paris, France), French director, actor, and playwright who spearheaded post-World War II French theatre, finding new meanings in classical texts for more than 50 years with his groundbreaking theatre company. Inspired by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and a belief that classical texts should be challenged, Planchon staged daring productions, notably Shakespeare’s Henry IV (1957) and Moliere’s George Dandin (1960) and Tartuffe (1962), that drew both great criticism and praise. Planchon’s strong directing choices of light, movement, staging, and costume elicited interpretations outside, and often unrelated to, the playwright’s original message. He ... (100 of 233 words)